The Cinders of a Burnt Rose
by Wolfe14
Summary: This is a sorta AU where I focus on the antagonists Cinder, Roman, Neo and Adam and give them backstories as well as some of the protagonists. This will be a look into the characters and as the story expands we get to see what these mean to the characters.
1. Stories of the Streets

Adam Taurus, the proud leader of the White Fang. His name is respected by many and feared by an equal amount. As such he is quite the controversial figure, but so are his friends. He partners himself with the proud Cinder Fall and her allies, Roman Torchwick his bodyguard Neo, as well as Cinder's subordinates who were not with them at the moment Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai.

"So Adam, how did you come to be here? Despite working together for, what? A few years we still don't know anything about anyone," Roman said, "so how about you tell us your stories and I will tell you mine. And well you and everyone here,"

Adam sighed, "Fine. Here we go. It all started fourteen years ago, when I first left the orphanage,"

* * *

"Look at that sad excuse for a human," A man spat, walking past the young Adam Taurus.

"It isn't even human, George. It is an animal. They don't need rights." The woman walking with him said.

"I can speak. I can feel. Now why am I not considered human, just because I look different? How does that make me any less human! I can say that about you," Adam pointed to the lady, "you have black skin. You aren't white like George here. So by your logic you aren't human and have no rights,"

"But I am human," she responded.

"Why? You look different from them. So why are you human? Why are you more human than me?" Adam asked her.

"I am human. I don't have any weird animal parts," she said.

"So, that is what automatically makes us sub human, having a tail, or having fangs? What backwards logic is that?" Adam snarled.

"We are superior to your kind," the man said.

"Really? Tell me more about your increased strength and night vision," Adam said, sarcastically.

Unable to answer the man stormed away followed by the woman, "Stupid humans," Adam fumed as they retreated.

This wasn't the first time. This had happened all the time since he left. Hell this was the reason he left. The more it happened the more and more hatred he felt. Hatred to the world, hatred to humans.

So what did the logical and cunning kid do? He stole. To survive he stole, to cause grief he stole. One day he snuck into a weapons shop and went to the back, where they made all the weapons.

"How much for a weapon?" The now teenager asked.

He wasn't past thirteen, and he had just hit puberty. Not really that intimidating. His voice still relatively high and his figure relatively short. His hair was ragged, and black from dirt and years of not being cleaned well. But he was still competent. He could fight, at least.

"Out in the shop," A disgruntled old man replied.

"No. I want a custom weapon," Adam said.

"Six hundred and fifty lien," he said, this boy couldn't affo-

"Deal,"

"What? How can you pay for that?" he asked.

"My parents are rich," was his reply.

The man conceded, "So what do you want?" He asked.

Adam smiled, "I got some plans right here,"

* * *

Adam was now sixteen. He was around six five and his hair was well groomed. His voice was now deep and powerful and he carried himself in a way that exuded power. So it came as no surprise when a large bear faunus came to him. While many would have thought him tall, compared to Adam he was rather short.

Adam noted the mask the bear was wearing, "White Fang?" He asked.

"Yeah. I assume you know why I am here?"

"How high up the ranks do I start?" He asked.

Adam at this point was a famous Faunus activist. Beating the White Fang to many of their targets.

"Captain," The bear said.

"Captain. I can deal with that, for now, take me there. I want to meet your leader, tell him I accept to his face," Adam smirked at the man.

"Okay, yeah right away,"

* * *

Took Adam four years but here he was. Leader of the White Fang, the most important Faunus in the world. Adam was good at his job, so good that he attracted the attention of a certain criminal.

"Cinder Fall. So you want my help?" He asked.

"It is what I said, isn't it?" She asked, smugly.

"I am so sorry but I am afraid that I must say no. You see I wouldn't want to work with a barbarian such as yourself," he said to her.

Cinder had already asked once before. Thing is, after he said no she came back and slaughtered all the faunus in his camp.

"Did you not see the damage we did to your men?" She asked him, perplexed on why he hadn't immediately jumped at this, fearing her wrath.

"I could go hand to hand with you. You don't scare me, nor do you scare Brick. He could take your goons," Adam smirked at the woman.

"Can we instead ask nicely?" Cinder asked, clearly playing games at this point, so sure that she was better than him.

"You could try. I think a better way is replacing all of my soldiers, getting us better weapons and training. Then I think we can work together," while Adam put up a brave front he was fucking terrified of what Cinder could do to his soldiers. He could lose all of them just because of one petty dispute. He was not going to let that happen.

"I can arrange that," Cinder gave him a soothing smile.

"Good, you'd better," Adam said to her, "in the meantime, why do you need me?"

"Quite simple really. I need the manpower and I could use more powerful high ranking officials. Like myself," she said to him.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Adam said to her.

"Oh, but I am serious," She responded, "you are one of the strongest there is. Quite impressive knowing that you didn't even attend a day of combat school," she looked at him.

"Someday I may tell you how I got to this point this isn't that day," he said to her.

"Such a shame, but oh well we must carry on. We have so much to do," her tone grew darker with those last few words, losing the honeyed layer that they had before.

"Now you are speaking my language," Adam smiled.

"I speak many tongues. Violence just happens to be one of them," She replied.

"So what are we going to do?" he asked her.

"Isn't it obvious? We have many plans to make and many colleagues to find. I have a few in mind, a few I used to know in fact. Though where they are, well that is far beyond me. That is why I need your troops. I assume you can organize your men to do such a simple task as to find elusive criminals?"

"I'll see what I can do," Adam snorted.

"That is all I ask," Cinder said to him.

"Now I must take my leave. Get to me what I need, names descriptions possible places of hiding and I will send my men out; for now I have leader business. So long, Cinder Fall," Adam gave her a wave as he made his way back to his tent to figure out he was going to explain this.

"Will do, Adam Taurus," Cinder sneered, "will do,"

* * *

"And you know the rest, Roman. I am sure," Adam looked at Roman.

"Yeah," Roman shrugged.

"So tell me Cinder, why did you really go to me? You could have bribed units in the Atlesian military but you went to a terrorist group, why?"

"Because no one had the potential you had. No one had the reach you add. No one had the numbers and ability to grow in them that you did. No one had you," Cinder replied.

"And in the end it worked out. I got what I wanted you are getting what you wanted, well except that Blake girl. Why do you still want her, pray tell?"

"She was my daughter. Well like a daughter. I cannot stand to watch her wallow in the 'goodness' and become soft and complacent," he said.

"I see. I'd react similarly if Neo was taken," Roman patted Neo on the head.

"And I, if either Emerald and Mercury left. I see what you mean now,"

"I need to get her back. I need to know why she left me, what I can do to bring her back," Adam said.

"All in good time. Though I do have some ideas,"

"Hey, buddy. While Cinder goes off into little sadistic hurty thoughts land how about I tell you about my past? Information for information? Like eye for eye just a lot less painful," Roman smiled.

"Sure," Adam shrugged, Roman knew Cinder better than him so he probably knew what he was doing.

"See it all started a very long time ago…"

* * *

 **So I have long debated the merits of having an ending or beginning author's note. So far I have decided that if I will do one I will only do it at the end so anything that would be told in the first one will be instead said in this one. My stories are designed to not have A/Ns but I think that a lot of the time they are necessary just to say stuff. Upcoming stuff how well I have been working etc. these will only appear in applicable chapters, I will try to break the flow as little as I can by having one and only having at the end. So just to tell you all that are reading I have all of this first arc planned out so the plot holes will be much less numerous. The reason they appear is I just add things as I write and I change what I tried to do and that ends up with some bad results. So I have the first ten chapters planned and I have two chapters written and hopefully I can finish this first arc in a month or more. Some changes in education are approaching and whether they will help with my writing I do not know. Though I do not think so. Only time will tell I am sure. So the next chapter will be titled** _ **Memories of Home and Family**_ **I will let you guess what that means. If any changes were meant between this first going up and whenever you are reading I will try to note it here.**

 **Later**

 **~Allan Tyr Phoenix**


	2. Memories of Home and Family

"So I kicked him in face, like bam!" Ruby made an explosion motion with her hand, "and then he showed up and shot at me!" Ruby was telling the tale of her fight with Roman, as she had done numerous times before.

"Then he shot at you," Weiss finished, "we all know what happened next," she said.

"I guess…" Ruby looked down dejectedly.

"Seriously though, besides the grimm attack in nothing much has happened lately. Not even so much as Roman robbing any dust stores now that we think about it,"

"Yeah, after that ice cream looking bitch beat me up, I haven't had a challenge, disappointing really," Yang said.

"Yeah, and no Roman to beat up on," Ruby muttered.

"No Adam to fight," Blake whispered.

"No mother to deal with," Weiss reclined.

"Um… Weiss? We just went over all the evil people we have fought and you brought up your mother, care to tell us your story?" Yang asked.

"Sure, why not?" Weiss shrugged, "Well it all began a while ago, somewhere around when I was three or so…"

* * *

"Try harder, Weiss. All Schnee's can do it, so can you," Winter urged her younger sister.

"But I can't!" Weiss whined.

"Why not?" Winter asked.

"The gwiffs won't appear!" Weiss started to tear up.

"They will, all in due time," the teen ager said to her baby sister.

"No they won't!" her sister looked closer to crying.

"If you keep thinking like that they never will. Come, try harder," Winter urged her sister.

Weiss tried on more time, and this time a little white circle appeared, "Wook! I did it! I made a gwiff!"

"See? What did I tell you? You can do it! Now just try harder and keep doing it and you will master them in no time," Winter smiled at her sister and her younger sister, now completely invigorated by the success, went back to work.

* * *

Winter returned from her first year at Beacon, a prodigy in every sense of the word. Weiss was turning seven that year and she waited excitedly to tell her sister that she had gotten into the local hunter's school.

When Winter arrived she patted Weiss on the end and kneeled down to look her in the eye, "So how's it going sister? Made any progress?"

"Yeah! I made it in!" The girl squealed.

"You did? That's great!" Winter exclaimed, picking her sister up and carrying you inside.

"Isn't it pathetic?" her mom asked Winter as you walked in, "By this point you were already in your second year,"

"Mom!" Winter scolded.

"And you had made your first summon. Weiss here can only create glyphs. She really is pathetic,"

"Mom? You should be happy that she got in! She is doing better than most kids can at her age? Why do you feel the need to tear her down?" Winter snarled at her mom.

"Because she is an embarrassment. Compared to you she should feel ashamed,"

"Yeah, Ms. I got my glyphs when I was fifteen and didn't even graduate. Real fucking prodigal there!" Winter yelled.

"Shut up. I was a late bloomer!" Her mom yelled back,

"AND YOUR DAUGHTER ISN'T!" Winter could barely hold in her fury.

"Don't take a tone with me young lady!" Her mom sternly yelled back.

"WHY NOT? I AM ALREADY A MORE CLASSIFIED HUNTER THAN YOU'LL EVER BE, HELL MY SISTER IS ALREADY HIGHER THAN YOU AND YOU FEEL THE NEED TO TEAR HER DOWN! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT WILL DO TO HER?" Winter yelled at her.

"Well then she should have been more like you," Her mom said back.

For fear of injuring her mother Winter just turned and stomped out of the house taking her sister with her.

"What was with the yelling, honey?" Winter's father walked in.

"Winter yelled at me because I told her how worthless our daughter is," she said.

"How many times do I have to say it? She isn't even close to worthless, hell she got her glyphs before me and I'm a Schnee. You should feel ashamed of yourself," Winter's father said as he went to catch up with his daughter.

* * *

"Winter! Guess what!" The now sixteen year old Weiss asked her sister who had just walked into the room, "all of mom's words were wrong! Look at this!"

Weiss pulled out an envelope with a very familiar seal on it. Winter took the envelope and read the letter.

"Weiss Schnee, you are accepted to Beacon academy. You're credentials are quite remarkable and if you are half as good as your sister then we are sure that you will do well," Winter turned to her sister, "I am so happy with you!" she hugged Weiss.

"I am going to tell dad. Can you make sure mom doesn't find out? I want to see the look on her face when I live for the place she could only dream of going," Weiss grinned.

"Of course I can. Anything for my little sister,"

So they went their separate ways and it wasn't long until Winter came back to bring Weiss to where the Bullhead would pick them up.

"Where are you going?" Weiss mom asked as Weiss ran, servant following her with her bags.

"To Beacon Academy!" Weiss whooped as she jumped out of the door.

"Really? I highly doubt it," Her mom said with a snooty air to her.

"It's absolutely true!" Weiss father came out to see Weiss off.

"What?"

"Don't sound so surprised Weiss is as talented and has worked just as hard as her sister. She made is somewhere where you would never even be able to think of going,"

"She is not nearly as good as Winter is. She will flunk out because she is so stupid," her mom said.

"I swear to dust if I wasn't arranged into this marriage I would have divorced you years ago," Weiss' father said to her mother.

Weiss ignored her mother as she was about to get into the car, "Bye mom! Bye dad! I will call you!" She yelled excitedly back and got into the car with Winter.

"Ready?" she asked her.

"Yeah. I am," Weiss smiled, finally she could prove her mother wrong.

"Let's go," Winter pushed the gas and they made their swiftly to the Bullhead port.

* * *

"Your sis sounds awesome, kinda like me," Yang smiled.

"Yeah, she was pretty great," Weiss said.

"I wish I had a mother," Ruby said out of nowhere.

"Huh?"

"It was so hard only growing up with Yang and dad," Ruby said.

"Yeah, it was hard growing up without Summer or Raven, but I had to be strong. Ruby you have no idea how lucky we were to have one another," Yang said to Ruby.

"Yeah, I am glad,"

"Though if only your aunt would have come," Yang muttered.

"Aunt?"

"Yeah your mom had a sister. I don't remember her name anymore, I just knew we had one and dad sent her like a million letters and she never answered one of them," Yang said.

"I didn't know we had an aunt," Ruby said.

"We have an uncle. Our aunt is probably dead. No one has seen her in years. Ever since she graduated Beacon not even Summer knew where she went. We had an address and was told to contact her there. We sent her letters and staked the house out and no one came. She was probably killed in a Grimm attack," Yang said somberly.

"Well that sucks," Ruby muttered.

"God only you Ruby," Yang laughed.

"You guys were lucky to even have a family. I had the White Fang and that was it," Blake had been quite everyone forgot that she was there.

"What was that like?" Yang asked her.

"Adam was the guy who took me in after my parents were arrested, he was like my father…"

* * *

"Who are you?" A tall man approached the small figure standing outside of the hotel.

"My name's Blake," she girl sniffled.

"What happened?" Adam asked her.

"They took my mommy and my daddy. They didn't do anything," Blake broke down know bawling.

Adam sighed, his conscience was a bitch sometimes, "here come with me. I can see what I can do," Adam reassured the girl.

"Really mister?" Blake looked at him.

"Yeah, who were your parents?" Adam asked the cat faunus girl.

"The Belladonnas," She replied.

Adam eye's widened. This was bad. Really bad. Like public execution bad. This girl was the daughter of some of the most famous famous criminals. Shit.

"Blake," Adam looked into the girl's eyes.

"I am going to send some of my men to try and retrieve them before… well just know that I will get my men on it immediately. How about you come with me? I can take care of you until we get your parents back." Adam hated lying.

* * *

"What happened?" Adam asked his young companion.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she looked at him.

"Tell you what?" Adam had a sneaking suspicion…

"They they were killed, that they weren't coming back," Blake began to sniffle.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to say to you. How to tell you what happened and how it happened." Adam apologized.

"What is going to happen to me? Will they kill me as well?" The cat faunus looked at Adam.

"No, because I will protect you. No matter what the cost," Adam said, determinedly.

"Promise?" The girl looked at him and Adam couldn't help but smile at the childish notion of a promise.

"Of course and I will not break it," Adam scooped the little girl up and put her on his shoulders, "now we have work to do and a weapon to get for you,"

Blake giggled, "Okay,"

* * *

Thirteen year old Blake had just returned to where Adam was staying.

"How did it go?" Adam asked.

"Well. I got everything we needed," Blake replied.

"Good job, you have done so well. Way better than even I expected, and considering how well I expected you to do that should say something,"

"Yeah. So what are we doing next?" Blake asked.

"Tomorrow we have a dust shop to raid. Easy job but it is said that the one running it was some kind of ex hunter. So I am going, just in case," Blake nodded.

"Get ready, we have much work to do,"

"Don't we always?"

"I guess we do, don't we?"

* * *

"After this, well after this it isn't important, really. You guys already know the basics though," Blake said to her teammates.

"Tell us anyways," Yang smiled at her friend.

"Well things started to happen. He would accidentally kill someone, then it was self defense and pretty soon after he couldn't even defend it. So that is why I left, never to look back,"

"Wow. It sounds like that must really hurt, being how close you guys seemed," Yang commented.

"Yeah, but I got over it. I am here aren't I?"

"And that is all that counts," Weiss supported her teammate.

:Thanks, guys," Blake liked this feeling.

People caring about her, makes her forget him.

"I think we should get to bed. It is getting rather late, isn't it?" Blake said.

"Guess it is. Night, team," Yang hopped into her bed.

"Night,"

* * *

 **So this was a thing. I am trying to get this all done before April, there is something important writingwise in April that will be very important. Though considering the fact that I need to write at least 30 chapters. But other than that a few things I want discuss about this story. This is an AU with characters backgrounds motivations and relationships changed to fit what I was going for, so that is why some of this stuff can happen. Also on a slight look back, there is next to no swearing which is crazy considering that all of my older works always had a lot of swearing, I guess I just don't feel the need for it as much. Cool for me because it makes it easier for people to read. But besides that follow, favorite, review and man I cannot stress this enongh, reviewing goes such a long way for me. I just makes my day when I get one and if this ever gets popular even if just slightly I will do my best to read and respond to all reviews, so if you have any questions I will answer them either in here if you're a guest. If I see any questions that appears more than once or I feel may be important to comprehension of the story I will clarify that in the authors note but if it seems to be a one person thing I will just PM you directly if that can be done. So anyways I have taken too much of your time already,**

 **Best Wishes**

 **~Allan Tyr Phoenix**


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